BWL, if you want to learn an Old Norse word, it's hard to go wrong if you start out with Skoal! One of my favorites! I'll make it purple in honor of your made up holiday.

And by the way, did you know that the double listing of MOAB in the Forum seems to only appear in IE? I just opened Firefox to check the color if worked right (displaying a visited link color) and there MOM is, just ONCE in the forum? How can this be?

Upon the vices to procede After the cause of mannes dede, The ferste point of Slowthe I calle Lachesce, and is the chief of alle, And hath this propreliche of kinde, To leven alle thing behinde. Of that he mihte do now hier He tarieth al the longe yer, And everemore he seith, "Tomorwe"; And so he wol his time borwe, And wissheth after "God me sende," That whan he weneth have an ende, Thanne is he ferthest to beginne.

Hell, back in the long-ago university days, I was so proficient at speaking in Chaucerian Middle English it was scary. I was voted "Most Likely Recite the Prologue to Canterbury Tales on His Deathbed". Would it be okay if I learned a new word in Old Norse instead?

I think we ought to have a "National Be Ten Yards Above Your Head " day, for those who don't get out often enough. And maybe a "ESP At Home Day" -- for those who ...well, you know who you are. And how about "Act Out a Past Life Day" for people like Little Hawk whose past lives are more interesting than their current ones? And "Learn a New Word in Chaucerian" for those with nothing better to do.

Yes, Bunn, I have to admit to making up those holidays, though I've recently discovered that there really is an "iNTERNATIONAL tYPE wITH yOUR cAPS lOCK oN dAY", but its actual date of observance is July 1. But who cares? To paraphrasae Dick Van Dyke, "Every day's a 'oliday with MOAB, 'cos MOAB makes ya feel so grand!"

When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple with a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me. And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves and satin candles, and say we've no money for butter. I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired and gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells and run my stick along the public railings and make up for the sobriety of my youth. I shall go out in my slippers in the rain and pick the flowers in other people's gardens and learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat and eat three pounds of sausages at a go or only bread and pickles for a week and hoard pens and pencils and beer nuts and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry and pay our rent and not swear in the street and set a good example for the children. We must have friends to dinner and read the papers. But maybe I ought to practice a little now? So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

I think BWL is making these days up. The real national/international xyw awareness/activity days are very rarely interesting. There's talk like a pirate day, and there's always a wind up the neighbors day, often disguised as the national holiday, celebrating a time you beat them up particularly*. It would explain why we're trying our best to come up with some better ones, but even so, they're just not going to hold their meaning without a critical mass of people to do so, and I don't think we're both a mass and critical at the same time all that often..

* Note to any US presidents reading this. It's just one day a year you're supposed to annoy the neighbors and/or former rulers. Given July 4 is connected with the British empire, that's us. You know, that quaint little place surrounding London. Actually, on second thoughts, Canada might be a better option....

Yes, it's that peculiar day when we applaud the color purple! It's the day when we express our appreciation for people who proudly proclaim their proclivity for purple apparel. It's a day to be impulsive and, perhaps, impetuous, not prudent or pusillanimous! Purchase a pair of purple pants and prance about like a prissy poppinjay! Not pink! Not puce! Not even pumpkin! Proper people prefer purple!

Oh Mom, poor Mom, I come back and everyone except me is ignoring you and I'm feeling so glum.

Ya know, Mom, contrary to what my postings were I found Seattle to be a nice city. One that I could actually live in, if I could afford it, which I can't because I give all my money away to the poor like you taught me to. I'd better get going because I have to go to work today so that I have money to give to that poor young widow lady who has to take in lots of boarders every night and who can't even afford any more clothes than a corset or a thin tee shirt.

Blue skies are never seen in Seattle And the hills're pretty hilly in Seattle Like a wayward child growing up but pretty mild Full of overcast and grays Full of rain that lasts for days Full of drizzle lasting years in Seattle In Seattle... In Seattle....

Idaho Man grows the barley-o, Oh the barley He works in the sun, he works in the snow. Oh the barley beer Then he loads it up in a big old truck, Sends it to Anheuser for lots of bucks. Oh the barley, oh the barley-0.

Oh the barley, Ole Anheuser tea. You killed my Grampa, killed my Pa. And you sure as hell are a killin' me. Oh the barley, oh the barley-o.

When they fought the war against the tax on cheer; They fought it over Anheuser beer. Old Boise put a tax on it, All of Idaho nearly took a fit.

In the time of the two-thousand-seven bar; Beer sitting in the Legion store. They pumped it in it at minus twelve degrees, A long cold night in a Idaho freeze.

Then the grease trap combusted 'cause it wasn't clean Beer barrels done split clean in twain. Two million gallons spilled that night People suckin' from the gutters caused a terrible sight.

Grampa, he died a quick good way, sir. Pa went down in the pool of pilsner. But I won't go in a pool of blood, I won't drown in an amber flood; But still I'll go down to the barley, Oh the barley beer.

"Jezebel does not accept Ahab's God, Yahweh. Rather, she leads Ahab to tolerate Baal. This is why she is vilified by the Deuteronomist, whose goal is to stamp out polytheism. She represents a view of womanhood that is the opposite of the one extolled in characters such as Ruth the Moabite, who is also a foreigner. Ruth surrenders her identity and submerges herself in Israelite ways; she adopts the religious and social norms of the Israelites and is universally praised for her conversion to God. Jezebel steadfastly remains true to her own beliefs."

Therefore, mark ye, and learn: as ye emulate the MOABite, so shall ye be blesséd.

Well, if you have to explain what MOAB is, you simply have them read through it, from the beginning. When they get to the discontinuity, their brains are sure to have died, and so you get out of whatever it was they were wondering about.

If that doesn't work, the confused numbering system will stick them into an endless loop.

There's nothing to worry about, except possibly that you're part of it...

My boss just got back from Seattle at the ALA meeting. I wonder if he ran into Rapaire? Probably just as well I didn't tell them to look for each other. Who knows what might have occurred if news of this thread got out and someone I know here actually started reading the MOAB? Scary thought. . .

Adieu, my friemds adieu, adieu I can no longer stay with you. I will hang my harp on the weepign willow tree And may the world go well with thee! Faretheewelll, for I must leave thee Do not let this parting grieve thee, And remember that the best of friends must part! I will hang my harp On the weeping willow tree, And may the world go well with thee! There will be a quiz, oh, yes a quiz! (What, a quiz?) As to lyrics here both hers and his (her or his!) You will all be asked to recite each line intact! And may your days go clicky-clack!

Farethewell, and be not grieving On a choochoo I am leaving I can here the bold conductor call "Aboard! All Aboard!"

Farewell, as I move down the line (Long line!) And watch the crossings mark the time (Mark the time!) I will spend my days rolling down the railroad track, And may your days go clicky-clack!

*Until I get home tomorrow evening. Farewell, Seattle! I start walking to Idaho in 10 minutes! Adieu, adieu my friends adieu! I can no longer stay with you! So I'll hand my something or other on a weeping willow tree and do something or other. Heck, I don't remember all the words. Oh, by the way...the Legion hovel had a fire last night, according a phone call I received this morning. They didn't clean the grease trap for a week, and you know how fast THAT would fill up. I'll let you know more when I get home, but I understand that it caused the beer barrels stored in the basement to explode and the result was similar, but not identical, to the Great Boston Molasses Flood.

Well, I pay as I go for Xmas, so no depression there. I don't mind my job much, so no great burden. The weather is actually kind of pleasant int hese parts just now, a gentle sunlight bathing the hills. No worries there.

I must be blessed to live among the priveleged few or something, huh? Now, Pocatello...that's a whole other kettle of, um, fish.

I heard that story also. I made a note but I can't find it. The day I'll look forward to is his other calculation--the Happiest day of the year. He said that is, if I remember correctly, Friday June 22. Yes. I wondered why that day and have concluded that 1-it is a Friday 2- the kids are out of school so we don't have to tow the school district line 3-it isn't the hottest, most miserable part of summer yet 4-it's not the end of the month yet so I might actually still have a little money left.

Yeah, the guy's calculations were based upon factors like typical weather patterns for the time of year, "holiday cheer" having run its course, Christmas bills coming due, lack of any substantial cheering holidays on the horizon, etc. Personally, I expect January to suck so it doesn't bother me.

YEsterday was not especially depressing for me. But maybe SOuthern California isn't included in the median rate-of-depression statistical "day" as we tend to get moony in the early morning and stay bright until all hours.

I sent this to the I Read it in the Newspaper thread even though I actually read it in my email BUT reading this online will be like what so much of us post anyway--stuff we usually read in online newspapers. (Though I often see things in the print version then shift to the computer to find the web version and that's what I post. Getting the clipping to stick and in such a way so you can each read it just doesn't work very well.)